OBJECTIVE: To provide clinical information for the best diagnosis and treatment of primary malignant cervical lymphoma based on the information obtained from these cases. METHODS: Between 1989 and 2006, six women with primary malignant cervical lymphoma were diagnosed and treated at our institution. Data were obtained from their medical records and were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean patient age at the time of diagnosis was 63 (range 19-74). The chief complaint was vaginal bleeding in five women and the voiding difficulty for one woman. five of six patient had the cervical lesions (erosion and tumoral mass), while the other was non specific cervical findings. The Papanicolaou test was performed on three women, one of whom was HSIL. All six patients were confirmed with cervical lymphoma through the pathologic diagnosis. Surgical treatment (radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo- oophorectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, and para-aortic lymph node dissection) was performed in one case, simple hysterectomy with complementary chemotherapy in two, and chemotherapy in one. Two patients refused treatment. Among four patients treated, one experienced recurrence in an ovary and the others have remained in remission. CONCLUSION: Primary malignant cervical lymphoma is a rare malignancy. Physicians can miss early detection of this disease because of its 'silent' symptoms and very low incidence. The accumulated data regarding this tumor can make it easy to detect at an early stage, thereby allowing it to be successfully treated. Further studies should be conducted to obtain further information regarding the cervical lymphoma.
Cervix Uteri ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Incidence ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma* ; Medical Records ; Ovariectomy ; Ovary ; Papanicolaou Test ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is characterized by a reversible airway obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and eosinophilic airway inflammation. The bronchodilator response(BDR) after short acting beta agonist inhalation and PC20 with methacholine inhalation are frequently used for diagnosing bronchial asthma, However, the relationship between the presence of a bronchodilator response and the degree of airway hyperresponsiveness is uncertain. Therefore, the availability of a eosinophil cationic protein(ECP) and a correlation ECP with a bronchodilator response and airway hyperresposiveness was investigated. METHOD: A total 71 patients with a moderate to severe degree of bronchial asthma were enrolled and divided into two groups. 31 patients with a positive bronchodilator response and 38 patients with a negative bronchodilator response were evaluated. In both groups, the serum ECP, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, and total IgE level were measured and the methacholine bronchial provocation test was examined. RESULTS: There were no differences observed in age, sex, atopy, and baseline spirometry in both groups. The peripheral eosinophil counts showed no difference in both groups, but the ECP level in group 1 (bronchodilator responder group) was higher than in group 2(non-bronchodilator responder group) (22.4±20.7 vs 14.2±10.4, mean±SD). The PC20 in group 1 was significantly lower than in group 2 (1.14±1.68 vs 66±2.98). There was a significant positive correlation between the BDR and ECP, and a negative correlation between the bronchial hyperresponsiveness and ECP. CONCLUSION: The bronchodilator response significantly correlated with the bronchial hyperresponsiveness and serum ECP in the moderate to severe asthma patients. Hence, the positive bronchodilator response is probably related with active bronchial inflammation and may be used as a valuable index in treatment, course and prognosis of bronchial asthma.
Airway Obstruction ; Asthma ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation ; Inhalation ; Methacholine Chloride ; Prognosis ; Spirometry